Self-closing valve



N0. 625,542. Patented may 23,1899.

J. CUTHBERTSN.

SELF CLOSING VALVE.

(Application filed Dec. 9, 1898.\

No Model.)

lill

@wwwa l l@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN CUTHBERTSON, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SELF-CLOSING VALVE.

SPCIFICATION forming part of Letters I'atent No. 625,542, dated May 23, 1899.

Application tiled December 9, 1898. Serial No. 698,721. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN CUTHBERTsoN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Self-Closing Valves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to valves, and especiallyl to self-closing valves, the object of the invention being the construction of a valve of the classabove mentioned in which the closing of the valve is effected entirely by the pressure of the water, but against a certain resistance, which is adjustable, and whereby the closing movement of the valve can be regulated in such manner that whatever may be the pressure of the water the said closing movement may be retarded to any desired extent.

A further object of the invention is the simpliiication of the construction of the valve, especially by the elimination of all stuffingboxes, dac.

The invention consists in the construction, as fully described herein farther on.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a valve in the form of a basin-cock embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line 2 2, Fig. 1, looking to the left. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a valve embodying a slight modification of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the body of the cock is shown as made in two parts 3 and 4 and screwed together at 9;. This form of construction permits the easy assemblage of the parts, as hereinafter described. The part 3 comprises the straight portion of the body and the part 4 the downwardly-curved part thereof. Said part 4 is the delivery end of the cock. l

Within the part 3 of the body of the cock is cast a cylinder 5, having the end thereof next to the inlet end 6 of the valve-body closed. Said cylinder 5 is axially central with the valve-body, inclosingit as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and is supported within said body by thewebs 7,wl1ich integrally unite said cylinder with said body. This construction provides an annular water-passage 5 around said cylinder 5, which passage is obstructed only by said webs 7. Within the said part 4 of the body of the cock is located the valve-seat S of the usual annular form, theface of which is toward the inlet end 6 of the valve-body and axially in line with said cylinder 5.

The valve-stem 9 has the valve 10 thereon adapted to be held against the face of said 6o valve-seat 8 by the pressure of the water behind said valve. Said valve is provided with any suitable washer 10L for bearing against the face of the valve-seat S, said washer being preferably held in place by a nut 10", as 65 shown.v The outer end of the valve-stem is supported within a boss 12 on the curved end of the part 4 of the body of the cock. The hole bored through said boss to receive the valve -stem is counterbored to receive the 7o thumb-piece 13, which is screwed onto the end of the valve-stem 9. To prevent any leakage of water through the hole in the said boss 12 a leather or other suitable washer 14 is placed on the valve-stem within the counterbored portion of the hole in said boss and the thumb-piece 13 is screwed up against it, the cutting of a screw-thread on said stem forming a shoulder against which said washer bears.

If need be, a metal washer 14, as shown in 8o Fig. 1, may be first placed on the end of the valve-stem 9 to better support the leather washer 14 when the thumb-piece is screwed up against it.

By pressing on the thumb-piece 13 the valve 8 10 may be forced against the water-pressure away from its seat 8, and water may then flow through the cock as long as said valve is held away from its seat. It said thumbpiece should be suddenly released, however, 9o the pressure of the water would immediately close the valve of the cock with great force, thus not only injuring the faces of the-valve and its seat, but producing also the disagreeable and injurious water-hammer, so called, in the pipes to which the cock is attached. To avoid the possibility of these injurious effects, the inner end of the valve-stem 9 is prolonged toward the inlet end 6 of the cock far enough to extend into the cylinder 5, and roo on the end of said stem lying within the cylinder there is secured a suitable packing, preferably consisting of one or more compressiblewashers 15, which fit the bore of said cylinder closely, whereby when said valve-stem is moved endwise to open the cock it will be necessary not only to push it open against the pressure of the water on the back side of the valve 10, but also to move it against the frictional resistance of the washers 1.5 against the inner wall of the cylinder 5. Said washers 15 are preferably of leather. Said frictional resistance can be variably adjusted to adapt the valve to be readily operated by either a very low or a very high water-pressure. This adjustment is accomplished by screw-threading the inner end of the valvestem which lies wit-hin the cylinder 5 and then first screwing a nut 16 up against a shoulder on said valve-stem, then putting a washer 15 on the head of the stem, and if there is only one washer another nut 1Ga may be screwed up against said washer, holding it firmly on the stem of the valve. The preferable construction, however, is to place two washers 15 on the valve-stein, as shown in the drawings, and separate them by a collar 17V, as a greater frictional resistance can thereby be applied to the endwise movement of the valve-stem, and, moreover, amuch better bearing be provided for the inner end of the valve-stem, whereby the latter is maintained in a true axial position in the bod;7 of the cock and the face of the valve always parallel with the face of its seat.

When the end of the valve-stem carrying the washers 15 is inserted in the open end of the cylinder 5, the washers are comparatively dry and move much more freely in said cylinder than when they have absorbed water, and in this first-named condition they are placed in the cylinder and the proper amount of compression applied to them to fill the bore of said cylinder. The valvestem is then forced into the cylinder as far as it will go, thus largely expelling the air therein contained.

XVhen the parts are assembled and the water has closed the valve lO, the movement of the latter toward its seat will be resisted not only by the pressure of water against the face of the exposed washer in said cylinder, but also by atmospheric pressure thereagainst, due to the partial exhaustion of air from that part of the cylinder between the washers and the closed end thereof.

To increase or diminish the frictional resistance of the washers 15 in the cylinder 5, if the valve is constructed as shown in Fig. 1 it is necessary to unscrew the part 4 of the body from thepart 3 and remove the end of the valve-stem 9 from the cylinder 5, after which the nut 16 can be manipulatedv to compressthe washer or washers 15 to fit more or less closely the bore of the cylinder 5.

The object of the modified construction shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings is to do away with the necessity of unscrewing the part 4 of the body of the cock to eifect the above adjustment of the friction-washers 15, and to that end an extension 18 is cast on the closed end of the cylinder 5, and a squared hole 18"L is made therein axially in line with the valvestem 9, and the nut 16 is made with a squared shank 19, which extends for a short distance into said squared hole 18 when the valve 10 is closed, sufficient space being left back of the end of the shank 19 in said hole 18 to permit the free sliding movement of the shank therein when the valvelO is opened. A shoulder 2O is cast on the valve stem, against which one of the washers may abu t, and the hole in the nut 16 which receives the end of the valve-stem 9 is tapped out sufficiently deep to always permit the said stem to be screwed into it far enough to compress the washers 15 to any desired degree when it is desired to increase their frictional resistance in the cylinder 5, it being obvious that the clamping of the leather washers between the nuts 16 and 16 will somewhat increase their diameter and make them fit more tightly in the cylinder 5.

The thumb-piece 13 in the construction shown in Fig. 3 is provided with flat sufaces to receive a wrench, whereby the stem may be turned to the right or left to screw it into or out of the nut 16a, which is held against rotation bythe squared shank 19- of said nut 16, which fits the squared hole 18a in the end of the cylinder 5. To permit the valve-stem 9 to be turned in either direction by cheapplication of a wrench to the thumb-piece 13, the latter, after it has been screwed up to a bearing on said stem, issecured thereto by a pin 21, which is passed through said thumbpiece 13 and said valve-stem. The valvestem 9 when it passes through the wall of the part 4 of the body of the cock fits rather freely, and thus water might pass into the end 'of the counterbored hole which receives the thumb-piece 13, and avent-hole 22 is provided to permit any water which might get into the end of said hole to drain back into the downcurved discharge end of the cock. The forward end of the valve-stem 9 having its bearing in the part of the cock not subjected to any water-pressure, itis not necessary to provide said stem with any packing-nut to make it tight, the single washer next to the inner end of the thumb-piece 13 being sufficient to prevent the passage of water past the thumbpiece. It is apparent from this description of the construction shown in Fig. 3 that by the application of a wrench to the thumbpiece 13 the frictional resistance against which the stem 9 must be moved to open and close the valve 10 may be varied without removing the stem from the body ot' the cock.

The great advantage of a self-closing valve .operated by the pressure of the water alone,

unaided by springs, is apparent, and the control of the closing movement of the valvestem by the friction-washers and the easy adjustment of said washers to adapt the valve Ioo IIO

claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A self-closing valve comprising a body having a Water-passage therethrough, a cylinder supported in said water-passage and having one closed end which is presented to the column of Water passing through said body; a valve-stem supported at one end in said cylinder and having its opposite end supported in, 4and projecting through, the Wall of said body, a valve-seat between the ends of said valve-stem, a valve on said stein held against said seat by the Water-pressure, and one or more Washers on the end of the valve-stem Within said cylinder, frictionally engaging the bore of the latter and tightly sealing it, whereby the closing movement of said valve will be eected against the resistinder, and the opposite end of which passes through the Wall of the valve-containing section, a valve-disk on said stem, and an eXpansible packing on the end of the latter lying Within said cylinder, whereby when said valve 3 5 is closed its closing movement will be effected against atmospheric pressure upon the valvestem and parts in said cylinder, and means for increasing or diminishing the freedom of movement of the end of the valve-stem Within 4o the said cylinder, substantially as described.

3. A self-closing valve comprising a body made in tWo parts suitably united between the inlet and discharge orifices thereof; a Valve-seat in that part 'containing the dis- 45 charge-orice, a cylinder axially supported in the part containing the inlet-orifice, said cylinder having one closed end which is presented to the volume of Water passing through the body; a valve-stem, a Washer secured on 5e `one end thereof which fits tightly in the open end of said cylinder, and a valve-disk on said stem against which the pressure of water acts to effect the closing thereof against atmospheric pressure acting on the said valve-stem 55 and its Washer, substantially as described. A JOHN CTHBERTSON. lVitnesses WM. H. CHAPIN, H. A. CHAPIN. 

